While there are many local customs and preferences in poker, a written code of rules will settle most disputes that arise at the table. The 81 official rules that are freely available on the FIDPA website should be used as a basis for all games. A game should have one player designated as the banker who keeps track of how many chips each player has and records when players change seats. Players should not engage in private transactions or exchanges of their chips and should only receive additional chips from the banker, as per the game’s established rules.

Each player is dealt two cards face down, which are known as their hole cards. The first round of betting occurs based on the five community cards (dealt on the flop, turn, and river) and the player’s own pair of hole cards. A winning hand is then determined by a showdown. The remaining players who still have their hole cards expose them and, with the dealer’s help, determine a winner using the official poker hand rankings.

During play, any player who has been a legal part of the game may ask to see a called hand. However, a dealer may deny a request to see a mucked hand in the case of blatant abuse of this privilege. The dealer should also not reveal any information regarding the players’ hands to any party other than their own. Players should protect their own hand by placing a chip or another object on top of them to prevent others from seeing the cards.